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 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
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On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
13:21 Newbury to Bedwyn
13:48 Bedwyn to Newbury
14:12 Newbury to Bedwyn
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:10 Penzance to London Paddington
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
etc
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19111  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Isolated at Melksham Station - any suggestions, anyone? on: December 10, 2017, 16:37:24
Quote
If disruption caused by circumstances within the control of a Train Company

If they cite the snow there is a get out clause there.

Yep ... "staff can't get to work because of severe weather" ... the line seems perfectly useable and indeed the 19:57 is still said to be running northbound.  Of course, to quote the words of an old friend from the past that could be to do with the OPERATIONAL CONVENIENCE of not cancelling that one  Grin . Ah Dennis, where are you now that the SWT (South West Trains) franchise has turned into SWR» (South Western Railway - about)?
19112  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles on: December 10, 2017, 15:51:01
Nothing wrong with 4 tracking...

bbbbbbut ... they want it Now!
19113  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Isolated at Melksham Station - any suggestions, anyone? on: December 10, 2017, 15:50:11
Other transport or overnight accommodation has to be offered.

I wonder if telling people they should have turned up two and a half hours earlier and caught the previous train constitutes an offer of other transport?   Even supposing they can get in touch to be told ...

And in any case they've just cancelled the previous one that they were suggesting ... so the last Swindon to Westbury of the day has already left!
19114  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Isolated at Melksham Station - any suggestions, anyone? on: December 10, 2017, 15:46:44
Other transport or overnight accommodation has to be offered.

I wonder if telling people they should have turned up two and a half hours earlier and caught the previous train constitutes an offer of other transport?   Even supposing they can get in touch to be told ...
19115  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Isolated at Melksham Station - any suggestions, anyone? on: December 10, 2017, 13:38:03
Here's the Twitter advi[c/s]e

Quote
HI there. The 1744 and 1957 services are running so I'd suggest using these in absence of the 1854 and 2019 being reinstated. Phil.

So that's suggesting people leave at 17:44 rather than 20:19 is they're southbound, and 18:54 rather than 19:57 if they're northbound.

Think this makes "never rely on the last train" into GWR (Great Western Railway) policy!
19116  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Isolated at Melksham Station - any suggestions, anyone? on: December 10, 2017, 11:58:39
Give them a call? I think they're open. Disseminate the info.

Awaiting an answer on Twitter ...

Quote
I certainly wouldn't expect a quick fix on the helpline equipment, especially if they've failed to pay the mobile connection bill (!). Any fault fixing is undoubtedly contracted-out and therefore subject to a completion time allowance.

Btw, journeycheck is still saying that your ticket machine is out of order! Now that is something I'd expect to be repaired by now! Maybe its fault is related to the comms problem with the helpoint?

Ticket machine is working.  Can't believe everything you read.  Shortage is said to be due to lack of train crew rather than trains stuck in the Malverns.

Quote
You make it sound like you're a special case unfortunately...better get used to the limitations of the railways.....join the club & chill :-)

Trying to avoid sounding "special case".  Happy to share our grief with other unstaffed stations with over 50k annual passengers who have their last trains cancelled and are told to use the help point but it's out of order!

Real issue is poor information / advise.  Telling people to do the impossible ... unless of course the help point is being fixed for sure during today  Grin Grin

19117  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Isolated at Melksham Station - any suggestions, anyone? on: December 10, 2017, 11:35:04
Quote
19:53 Swindon to Westbury due 20:36
19:53 Swindon to Westbury due 20:36 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information
For more detailed information please contact a member of station staff or make use of the Customer Help Point systems available.
Please allow more time for your intended journey.

No staff at Melksham. Help point not working (even the "Information" button now fails to connect / I have not tried the emergency button)

Problem was reported to GWR (Great Western Railway) Station Manager on 5th December ... hadn't been fixed when I was at the station at 08:45 this morning (10th December).

Perhaps the suggestion of "use the help point" is a suggestion that frustrated passengers should take out their anger on it ...

I'm getting to my wit's end ... and realistic ideas of advise to customers turning there this evening to catch trains that are cancelled would be appreciated!
19118  All across the Great Western territory / Introductions and chat / Re: A week in the life of ... on: December 10, 2017, 09:55:40
To complete my week ... Monday to Sunday.

This morning is the day where I can finally say "TransWilts offers an all day service, every day of the week, all year, between Westbury and Swindon".    Welcome the return - on a permanent, year round basis, of the 08:30 Westbury to Swindon service on a Sunday morning.

A truly awful morning weather wise; it's been pouring with rain all night and there's standing water all over the place and it's cold and windy ... all the things to put people off their Sunday trips.  Result ....



That was +13 -3 at Melksham ... limited promotion / publicity at our end due to recent reliability concerns over Sundays, and to avoid deflecting interest from other things we're doing or planning.    I'll admit to being rather pleased.   More so as I spoke with several groups (7 out of the 13 departing passengers) and every one of those seven  was changing to make connections - most being long distance connections that really help make the financial case.  But in any case, I estimate there were about a dozen through passengers - so that's 28/16 which is respectable to say the least.

And when I recall that for our experimental summer 2011 service, when we were asked to prove that a train would be used, we had to persuade FGW (First Great Western) as they then were to actually stop the early train as it ran up from Westbury to Swindon - they had proposed an ECS (Empty Coaching Stock) (empty carriage stock) to feed the (marketed) return train!
19119  All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Learning where GWR's priorities lie ... on: December 10, 2017, 09:19:45
Someone’s thoughts on the expectation and provision of extra rail services for the Bath Christmas market:
http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/bath-news/bath-christmas-market-shoppers-complaining-901971

And no it’s not me!  Smiley

It reminds me somewhat of the click-bait I sometimes see on my Facebook feed - "14 most disappointing places to visit ..." and a lot of world iconic sites are illustrated.   There's a common theme that I noticed which is "overcrowded"

19120  Sideshoots - associated subjects / News, Help and Assistance / Re: Cancellation and amendment map on: December 10, 2017, 06:06:38
For anyone who was up and around earlier, my apologies for the duff feed showing trains with issues to / from the Fastnet Rock!

For the first time I can recall, trains are scheduled to be terminating at Acton Main Line this morning.  Of course, not everything runs quite to schedule ...


And CALSTOCK added in the early hours this morning. Apologies to anyone who saw what looked like a direct service from Plymouth toward Rosslare via Bude.
19121  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent 2017 on: December 09, 2017, 22:36:22
Trowbridge - Platform 1
Trowbridge - Platform 1

I think you're right. I saw a reflection of a red train with openable windows and wrongly assumed it had to be a SWR» (South Western Railway - about) service. Enlarging the photo I then tried to decipher the station name on the onward travel poster. I thought I could make out Weybridge but photos of the station that I found didn't back up my theory  Sad

That'd be a GWR (Great Western Railway) Class 153 in the reflection.

I'm thinking the citizensrail.org branded 153325.

Correct down to the unit reflected in the window.   The 08:36 Swindon to Westbury at Trowbridge, loading 33/14
19122  Journey by Journey / London to Reading / Re: Class 387 coming to Thames Valley - ongoing discussion on: December 09, 2017, 17:50:01
IIRC (if I recall/remember/read correctly) they were usually 'airport passenger' spec. with extra luggage racks. Oh well.

Can we call them "international spec" please  Cheesy  ... in the hope that a similar spec is put in to the Cardiff - Portsmouth units as they're refurbed at some point.

If you think an airline passenger can take a lot of luggage, you haven't seen what a holiday maker heading off on a cruise through Southampton can take!
19123  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles on: December 09, 2017, 17:24:45
From The Courier



Good see some new 3rd rail proposals and some 4 tracking up there!
19124  All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Why allow an early running freight to disrupt passenger trains? on: December 09, 2017, 17:20:03
Back in the day when I was working for NR» (Network Rail - home page) ...

A lot of likes - but where are our manners?  "Welcome to the forum, Interceptor".  I suspect that you first post was of such high quality that no-one noticed it was your first  Grin
19125  All across the Great Western territory / Introductions and chat / A week in the life of ... on: December 09, 2017, 16:46:48
"A week in the life of" ... all pictures taken in the last six days. I've been on 26 trains, stayed in 2 hotels (only one at the same hotel and time as Chris B), ridden only one bus.  I've presented 2 days of training, attended a conference, a network event and four pre-arranged meetings. I've bumped into 6 people whom I knew / know that's been fortunitious to catch up with outside the other events.  Countless good discussions at the various events and by email too. And countless discussions with fellow travellers too. I've agreed in principle the sale of a house (although the purchaser has yet to get all his ducks in a row sufficient to give me confidence it will all go through. Seen the kids :-) ... but not the grandkids :-(. And I've booked Christmas Dinner.

I love all the variety and all the things I learn. And I love to see the positive output of what I do and help with. For sure, there are times (there have been 3 this week) where 2 steps forward have turned into 2 steps forward and one step back; I bite me tongue, ask "why didn't that work fully", celebrate the half full glass we have and look to see if we can make superb use of the half glass, and perhaps get a top-up to follow.

The pictures are not in proportion to the time invested; I tend to take pictures (and searchable notes these days) when I want to remember something or be triggered as I look back at ... so here's a very biased selection from the week.

Monday morning ... and a trip to London.  The two TransWilts morning peak trains were both 2 cars (first time for the 07:49 and it really needs it) ... and I dread to think how rammed the 17:36 one-car only-peak-train was back in the evening!





At the other end of the week at Paddington - utter chaos due to "person hit by train".  I was headed back to Westbury - not included on the "next fastest train" board but the 20:35 to Plymouth which was the train I had planned for (and final train of the day) was no-where to be seen on any board, and the instruction was "please enquire".   Only one of the two information stands was manned (!) so "please enquire" meant "please queue to see someone".  A helpful poster told us that more trains with more seats were on the way, but I suspect that wasn't about that evening  Grin







End of week ... Essex Road station ... came across as a bit in need of some TLC (three letter code ) ...



It was the first time I've used the new station at Cambridge North - a long overdue opening. Very impressive yet very stark set on a flat area that's not really developed yet.  Good to see integrated bus stops and as you'll note from one of these pictures, already a healthy flow of passengers.   The 4 car stopper from King's Cross to Cambridge, extended to North, pulls halfway up the platform away from the station buildings ... when asked "why" station dispatcher tells me they have a few teething troubles and "it went right to the far end at first".







Monday was the Great Western Stakeholder's conference and an opportunity to get updated on a few things; most weren't really news to me, but then many stakeholders are far from as closely involved so the pitch was probably very much at the right level.   As even, very professionally and positively presented - though with reference and explanations of some of the challenges that have been visible to passengers, and information about plans to address those which remain.  One presenter (not a GWR (Great Western Railway) one) let the side down somewhat by not having any visuals to help him, and clearly his talk hadn't been co-ordinated before had as he stated with "I'll try and leave out the stuff that the previous speaker has already covered"













Tuesady - can you believe the 18:38 Trowbridge to Swindon?   To be fair, most of these passengers wanted to go to Bristol or Cardiff, but in the absence of a working railway between Bath and Bristol they were going round via Hullavington!   Even on this train, a walk through / plenty of visibility from both the train manager and me and we managed to advise most people.   I understand later and following day TransWilts trains also got a bit busy!



Although the new station at Cambridge North in wonderful, its integration into the area isn't.  Picture shows the entrance from the main road for foot passengers (and most will be from the science, business and innovation parks) - you have to know where you're going.  No signs!     And take a look at the gate into the busies park; not exactly officially labelled.   But I have to admit it's a darned sight better than Melksham where the council can't evene remove a fence panel between two pieces of lands it owns and are public accessible!.

On train announcements seem kludged too ... "this train for ... Foxton, Cambridge and Cambridge [take breath] North". I suspect the recording is a cut and paste job, and the inflection at the beginning of the work "North" suggest that whoever spoke it was staring a longer name ... "North Sheen" or perhaps even "Northampton".





So this morning ... my decision to stay in London gave me a chance to ride an Adelante and to take a snap including the sleeper loco.   I look at "Restormel Castle" and wonder what it was restored from!





Looking to see who's leaflets are available and it what quantity



The main business of the week was my training - a couple of slides to remind me of what I had to cover on the second day, and show you the sort of thing I write in front of delegates on my day job.






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